Live
by Ranko twin
Summary: What if one of the beloved NWC that is close to the hearts of all...dies...in the Japanese earthquake. Summary sucks - this story shows that you have to cherish every hour you spend with someone dear to you, whether you knwo they're dear or not.


Ranma ½ doesn't belong to me, it belongs to the great Rumiko Takahashi, if I did own it do you think I'd be here right now?

A/N: This story is dedicated to all the families who lost someone they love in the Japanese disaster. Tell someone you love them everyday because you never know if that will be the last time you'll get a chance to say it.

-/-

The light from the early morning sun flooded into Ranma's room and shown right into Ranma's eyes, he lay awake in his room all night, afraid if he closed his eyes he might dream of a certain blue haired girl…but then just have her walk away from him without a passing glance or a goodbye.

Akane and himself were finally seniors in Furinkan High and Ranma continued to be an average student with the same bad grades, Akane decided to do something productive for her final year and took a course in Sendai for a semester with her friends.

For the first couple of weeks it had been devastating to be away from Akane that long, whether he liked to admit it or not, he needed that stupid tomboy. Of course like any other person he got over it by calling her and writing her letters, but then…

(1 week earlier)

The whole family, excluding Akane, was sitting in the family room and Ranma was just finishing reading a letter sent from Akane, Kasumi and Nabiki were watching one of their late night shows, and the fathers were playing a less than friendly game of shogi. Suddenly the show the two girls were watching changed to an emergency broadcast; the man on the screen was talking about a devastating event that had just taken place in Sendai.

At the mention of that name Ranma's head snapped up so quickly he was left with a whiplash, but he ignored it and continued to listen to the news reporter; he talked about a giant earthquake that had hit Sendai followed by a massive tsunami that had lifted houses and cars like toys that had killed and drowned many in an instant. Ranma felt pure, raw panic and terror short through him, what if Akane…?

They were naming off the list of survivors they had found so far, the ones dead and injured as the whole family sat there patiently waiting to hear Akane's name; time froze in the room for all of them when they heard the familiar name listed under dead.

The two sisters cried on each other, the fathers tried to keep from crying but there body wracked with sobs, and Ranma just sat there emotionlessly because he didn't know what to feel, or better yet what feeling to feel first, so he just got up and left the family room to sit in his room and cry like the man he wasn't.

(Present)

There was a light wrapping noise, and then a familiar voice called to him through the thin rice paper door. "Ranma?"

It was Nabiki.

"Ranma, it's time to go. Are you ready yet, we can't wait forever." Nabiki wanted to get this over with just as much as Ranma did, because the only place those two didn't wanted to be was that stupid cemetery.

"Yeah, I'm coming" He pulled off the quilt of the futon and got up, he was already dressed in black because he was sure if he changed into black right before the funeral he would brake down again.

(Funeral)

The body had already been cremated and the ashes were sitting in a bronze urn; the priest was saying a pray as he held the urn to the sky. All in all it was a short service. Right when the urn was put into the ground and buried it started to rain. 'Oh, the irony.' Ranma thought pitifully. 'It started with rain and it will end with rain.'

Ranma was the first one to say their final words and pay their final respects; she placed the bright sunflower on the grave and touched the marble fondly, tracing the name with her fingers. "See you old buddy; stupid Ryouga, you just had to go and die." Her eyes stung and she tried to blink back the tears but she couldn't help but have a few tears fall past her eyelids. "Don't worry, I'll take care of everything." She whispered as she fingered the last letter Ryouga was ever planning on sending him; he still hadn't read it yet, it was too much.

She walked away in a brisk pace, her feet sinking into the muddy ground; Kasumi bowed respectfully and then chased after the petite redhead. "Ranma" she grabbed Ranma by her small, bony shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Ranma nodded but refused to turn around.

"Well then, would you like to go with me and Nabiki to visit Akane?"

Ranma whipped around to face Kasumi, her eyes glistening with unshed tears and smiled for the first time in a week, it was small but it was still a smile. "Can I?" she asked just a above a whisper; Kasumi giggled and nodded her head.

(Hospital)

The staff had gotten Ranma a kettle of hot water so he could change back to his original form and had led the three to Akane's room. Akane was classified as one of the many injured and was stuck in a coma, but the doctors informed them that she was able to hear all the outside noises and there was a 50-50 chance of her waking up.

Ranma stared at the prone girl lying on the bed with needles and tubes coming out of her, she had a white bandage wrapped around her head and a machine by her bed beeped, showing her heart rate, but past all that Ranma saw the beautiful angel he fell in love with. He walked over to her and sat on the chair by her bed, he took her limp hand in both of his and kissed it lightly.

The two other girls in that stood by the door looked at each other and an unspoken agreement passed through them; they backed out of the room and gave the two teens some privacy.

That earthquake opened Ranma's eyes; he had gone through this once before and he had sworn to himself he would never let anything like that happen again, but what if it was Akane he was saying goodbye to and not Ryouga? The thought made his heart literally ache and now he promised himself something different, that he wouldn't deny his feelings for her anymore and when she wakes up he will tell her so, he'll also he was going to take care of the whole fiancé matter. "I promise." He whispered into her hand and if he was actually paying attention he might have noticed her hand twitch slightly.

He put her hand down back at her side and leaned back in his seat, he pulled out the envelope that held Ryouga's last letter and pulled it out with little hesitation.

_Dear Ranma,_

_I'm righting you from Hokkaido now but it's surprisingly warm for up North. Anyway, I'm writing you to apologize for that wedding incident, it was uncalled for on my part and I would like to ask if you could find it in your heart to forgive me. I have decided to give up on my love for Akane-San and go back to Akari; she truly loves me and could use my help on the farm; I don't care about curing myself anymore, without it I never would have met two kind, beautiful girls that changed my life._

_I am here-by giving up on this constant challenge of one-upping each other in technique and skill, the only reason we fought was because of Akane-San and so now that I have finally given up on her for good I hope we can at least be friends._

_You love Akane-San Ranma and you know it, I always knew it, and so did the other fiancés, so why don't you just admit it to her already; you'll finally be happy, guys like us need happiness like that._

_Treat her well Saotome or else I might have to come and kick your ass, even if I have to follow you all the way around the globe to do it! You never know how long you might have her._

_Take care of yourself and hope you have a long, happy life with Akane standing by you for eternity and kids that have the same ego as you do._

_I can't wait to see my, or our, new future!_

_Ryouga Hibiki_

Ranma swallowed back the large lump in his throat and had a great difficulty saying, "Will do pal, will do." He put the letter on Akane's bedside table and put a small black velvet box on top of it as a paperweight. He got out of his seat and bent down to kiss her on the forehead. "Wake up soon." He whispered against her forehead before leaving.

(10 years later)

Ranma walked through the automatic sliding doors of the hospital carrying a bouquet of cherry blossoms. He had become a very handsome, well-built, mature looking 28 year old that woman swooned over, even more than when he was a teen. He no longer wore those Chinese clothes and switched to jeans and tanks that really made "Good morning Mr. Saotome." The middle-aged receptionist called when she saw him. "Going to see Akane?"

"Yeah, anything new?" his daily question was always, 'Is she awake?' or, 'Anything new?' and it was always, 'No'

The kind woman readjusted her glasses and looked through Akane's files; she raised her hand to hide her smile from Ranma. "Well, your other family members did stop by earlier on and I think they still might be here." 

"I guess I'll just check." He said walking over to the elevator to get to the floor Akane's room was on.

The middle-aged woman smiled fondly and got back to her work. "I always was a sucker for happy endings."

-/-

The whole family was forming a circle around Akane's bedside, blocking her from view and when they saw Ranma in the room; they parted the circle for Ranma to see; Ranma stood in the middle of the room frozen in shock; the bouquet fell from his limp fingers. There was his Akane sitting up in bed with her large chocolate eyes staring at him lovingly; over the years her hair had grown past her shoulders and he saw that she was holding the little black box in her slender fingers.

She held out the box to Ranma and smiled fondly at him. "I remember your voice, you never left my side. Now, don't you have something to tell me Ranma?"

He snapped back to reality and picked a cherry blossom out the bouquet, he sat on the edge of the bed and tucked the cherry blossom behind her ear; he tried to keep a smile on his face but the tears spilled freely down his cheeks, he had always dreamed of this moment but he never imagined it like this.

Akane wiped the tears away and at her warm touch Ranma broke, he wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. "I love you; would you-" 

"Yes" Akane whispered; she had been trapped behind a mirror so long, she tried so much to break to set herself free but it never broke, she never gave up because Ranma's voice was always there talking to her, telling her their plans when she woke up; he always said _when_ and not _if_.

"I love you too." The two of them held each other in a loving embrace, crying together.

'Thank you God, for giving me this chance.' Ranma thought.

A light wind blew into the room through the open window; it blew some of the cherry blossoms from the bouquet and landed on the letter from Ryouga that still sat on the nightstand and maybe if they had looked they would have noticed that small, thin petals formed to spell out,

'Aishiteru*'

-/-

I Love You*

A/N: Review and tell me what you think; don't forget to pray for Japan.


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